The Royal Navy has announced that new recruits no longer need to be able to swim in order to join the service.

       Following reports of the shock change to the recruitment process for a service that spends most of its time on the water, there have been claims that the Royal Navy is lowering its standards in order to boost recruit numbers.

       Speaking to Sky News, a spokesperson for the Royal Navy said this wasn’t the case and the change simply meant that non-swimmers didn’t have to take lessons in their spare time before joining.

       The source told the publication that there had been concern about the abandonment of a half-hour swim test before being recruited into the service.

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       The source claimed it was a “sign of true desperation” that the requirement to swim was being dropped from the Royal Navy requirements.

       The latest shock for the service comes nearly a year after a serious drop in recruits to the Royal Navy was revealed.

       Defence sources claimed the massive fall in new recruits could seriously affect their ability to fight in the event of World War 3.

       At the time, sources said the service was looking at new ways to encourage people to join the Navy and encourage them to serve their country.

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       At the time, a Royal Navy spokesperson said: “The Royal Navy has enough trained personnel to meet all of its operational commitments, and it is untrue to say there is a collapse in recruitment.

       “We are experiencing the same challenges as every employer in the UK and are competing for people against a national shortage.

       “Recruitment is one of our top priorities, and we are working across the navy to continue to deliver success: including the recent launch of our new Royal Marines recruitment campaign.”

       Royal Navy spokesperson told the Express: “All Royal Navy and Royal Marine candidates are required to successfully pass the swim test to be able to pass out of Phase 1 training and the level of swimming ability required has not changed.

       "Recruitment and retention are absolute priorities, which is why we are introducing a range of measures to speed up recruitment. These changes are to reduce the delay for candidates that are eligible to join while retaining the same level of swimming ability."